After a quiet 2024 with no Nigerian additions, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited two Nigerians as part of its 2025 class, joining 534 new members selected from across the global film industry.
Costume designer Bunmi Ademilola Fashina, known for her work on Mami Wata, Sylvia, Shanty Town and Light in the Dark, and composer Ré Olunuga (recently spotlighted at Cannes 2025), whose credits span Drift, Iwaju, Girl, Ajoche, God Calling, and Up North, were named in the Academy’s Costume Designers and Music branches, respectively.
“We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang in a joint statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.”
This year’s class has 41% women, 45% from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 55% from 60 countries and territories outside the United States. Among the invitees are 91 Oscar nominees (including 26 winners) and three Scientific and Technical Award honourees.
Other notable names in the 2025 list include Nigerian-American filmmaker Julius Onah, British-Nigerian director Jeymes Samuel, and Lena Waithe (all in the Writers branch), as well as veteran South African actor John Kani, invited under the Acting branch.
The last set of Nigerians to join the Academy came in 2023, including Jade Osiberu, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Kunle Afolayan, and C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi.
Membership selection is based on professional achievements, with a continued emphasis on representation, inclusion, and equity. Only those who accept the invitation will become official Academy members in 2025.
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